FINANCIAL CHRONICLE – The Cabinet of Sri Lanka has sanctioned a proposal aimed at implementing legal measures to ban the export of scrap metal, which is considered harmful to domestic industries, according to Minister Nalinda Jayatissa.
Jayatissa explained that local manufacturing sectors rely on both domestically sourced scrap metal and imports to meet their metal requirements. However, he noted that the export of counterfeit metal products and scrap under various Harmonized System (HS) Codes has led to a depletion of locally available metal raw materials.
Previously, the Cabinet had issued a halt on the export of various types of scrap metals, including iron, copper, aluminum, white iron, high carbon iron, brass, along with aluminum and zinc ingots, and copper wires, in an effort to safeguard local small-scale industries.
In light of the ongoing challenges, the Cabinet has now approved the necessary legal provisions to further restrict the export of scrap metal.
(Colombo/Mar31/2026)
